In the past, liquid softening agents have been added to the wash water in automatic washing machines for the purpose of providing anti-static characteristics for the clothing and to provide a softening effect so that the wash or clothing after drying will have a fluffy characteristic. The addition of the liquid softening agents to the wash water had decided disadvantages in that the liquid agents are generally quite expensive and are discharged into the sewer lines or septic tanks with the wash water, thereby acting as a pollutant.
More recently, anti-static and fabric softening bars have been developed which, instead of being placed in the wash water during the washing cycle, are attached to the interior surface of the dryer during the drying cycle. At room temperature the bar is a solid mass having an appearance similar to a cake of soap, but at the temperature involved during the drying cycle, the bar will soften and vaporize with the vapor permeating the interior of the dryer to provide the anti-static and fabric softening effect.
The bar is normally enclosed within a porous fabric envelope or package. After enclosing the bar within the fabric the open side or sides of the fabric have normally been closed by stitching. Not only is stitching a time consuming manual operation which substantially increases the overall cost of the package, but leakage of the softened bar can occur through the stitched joint during the drying cycle.